walking through the advent together: day 8

Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense.And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.

But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” (Luke 1:11-17)

Do not be afraid, for your prayer is heard.

These barren areas of our life, we all carry relentless shame and unshakeable sadness. These marks of our incapabilities that seem to be etched deep into our skin, that show the world just how much we are not — not a wife, not a mother, not a grandmother. Not able to work, not able to keep a home, not able to be a friend. Not able to make it through a day without crying, not able to make it through a day without help, not able to fight the darkness lurking in the corners.

Whatever the barrenness of yours is, beloved, do not be afraid. Your prayer is heard, those whispered prayers held in the hands that created you. You can let go now, trust that our Lord is able to make all things new — whether it means creating a new life completely or making a battered heart able to stand strong in the mighty winds.

Today, beloved, let us lift our eyes to our Maker and praise Him with all our heart — with all the barren, empty spaces offered for Him to fill to the fullest. Let us see each other just like we are; broken, barren people in need of grace.

Friends, I have created a Facebook page for the blog. Do go and like for an easy way to keep up with these daily posts, shown right there on your feed. There will be other major changes coming up in January — mainly in my life — which is one of the reasons why I created a Facebook page.

I'm Ronja (pronounced RON-yah). Follower of Jesus, working on a Master's Degree in Speech & Language Therapy. I live in southern Finland. I'm fueled by coffee & grace. I am here to encourage and to share the light of grace with the beloved children of God.